Walk into any computer lab at Northeastern Illinois University and you will hear the sounds of keyboard taps and mouse clicks. At first glance, the scene is one of students working on research papers or studying for a test. Take a closer look at their monitors and you get a different picture.
Students on Internet chat rooms, e-mailing friends and sending instant messages has become a common sight in school labs. Students can spend hours on social networking websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube. All of these activities take some technical know-how to navigate.
Yet even though so much time is being spent on computers, many are questioning if students are receiving the proper technical education necessary to be successful in their academic and professional careers.
In a recent report on technology in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Edie Rubinowitz with Chicago Public Radio’s Chicago Matters: Valuing Education series and in conjunction with Catalyst magazine, found the quality of technology varied greatly in schools throughout the city.
A survey conducted by Catalyst magazine on Chicago Public High Schools showed while most students have access to computers – on average one Internet-equipped computer for every four students – many schools do not have the funding or resources to integrate technology into their curriculum.
It is the principal’s decision on how much of the budget will be given towards developing technology within the school. That decision differs depending on the school’s immediate needs.
Schools that can afford it run successful programs with the help of technology coordinators. They are responsible for maintaining the school’s computer network and helping teachers develop a curriculum that is more technology based.
But in schools where security and overcrowded classrooms are more of an issue, having a tech coordinator is a luxury most principals are not willing to dedicate large amounts of their budgets to.
Despite these budgetary restraints, most students do have at least some access to computers and the Internet. A survey carried out at Jones High School showed that 95 percent of the students owned computers and 85 percent had access to the Internet.
According to Rubinowitz, also a communications professor at NEIU, it is not a question of the technology being accessible, but rather of how it is being used.
“It’s about how we use it [technology] intelligently, and how we decipher what is good information or not” said Rubinowitz.
It seems that while CPS students are not in the worst position, more can be done to expose them to technology in the classroom.
Until a CPS-wide initiative to implement technology into the classroom is funded and set forth, the quality of a school’s education will depend solely on how much of its budget it can spare on technology.